[12024] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: Fwd: Short substantive EFF policy question
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Bruce Fancher)
Mon May 2 20:19:58 1994
From: bruce@phantom.com (Bruce Fancher)
To: karl@mcs.com (Karl Denninger)
Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 16:03:38 -0400 (EDT)
Cc: frezza@radiomail.net, farber@central.cis.upenn.edu, djw@eff.org,
com-priv@psi.com, stahlman@radiomail.net, dbuck@world.std.com,
ggilder@mcimail.com, gbolles@radiomail.net,
rre-maintainers@weber.ucsd.edu, Sam_Boyle@mcimail.com,
brodsky@radiomail.net, mech@eff.org
In-Reply-To: <m0py0NU-000oCyC@venus.mcs.com> from "Karl Denninger" at May 2, 94 10:57:52 am
[Karl Denninger] has written:
|
| >
| > Stanton,
| >
| > Two weeks ago you committed to provide an authoritative answer to a few
| > basic questions submitted to the EFF on its envisioned funding mechanisms
| > for ensuring Guaranteed Universal Service on the 'Information
| > SuperHighway'. To date, we have not heard from you or anyone else from
| > the EFF that was copied on these questions.
| >
| > Could it be that the EFF issued its Open Platform 2.0 policy without
| > thinking this through? Could it be that the EFF doesn't really want people
| > to think about these issues as it pursues its ambitious fund raising
| > program?
| >
| > The questions are repeated below for your convenience. Many of us would
| > still be interested in hearing your answers.
|
| Yeah, like a lot of us.
|
| It is seriously amusing (NOT) to some of us that the "EFF" comes off as a
| shill for regulated monopoly interests when they publish these treatises.
| Frankly, I find it alarming that the EFF, and Mitch Kapor in particular
| (who made his money by being a <capitalist>) now want to impose a
| regulatory burden on the providers of this service that will insure that
| only RBOCs and cable TV companies end up "serving the public".
|
| Then we will have measured service as the only way to get into the net.
|
| Commercial providers are doing an EXCELLENT job of providing Internet to
| the public right now. To those who say that "but you don't cover East
| Podunk, USA" I say "Go after the damn telco tariffs that LEGALLY PREVENT
| the provision of flat-rate inter-LATA telephone service, and this problem
| becomes a non-issue". Flat-rate Internet access, and CHEAP timed access is
| already available from HUNDREDS of providers. Unleash us from the
| REGULATED, "IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST" (NOT!) telco chain and you'll have your
| accessibility.
|
| Oh, and those who want to claim that "but you need a computer to access
| the net" need to gopher over to "www.mcs.net" and read our announcement
| regarding the North Suburban Library System deal we just signed. It
| should dispell THAT piece of nonsense. I would hope that the way we
| went about this becomes a model for other systems nationwide.
|
| Those who would like to argue that the Internet is an entitlement, IMHO,
| should go crawl in a hole. We have too many "entitlements" in this society
| as it is.
|
| I hear a lot of noise about "high speed access to the home, cheap!". What
| isn't explained is how that's going to get paid for. I am the President of
| this company, and I cannot afford "high speed" access to MY home, despite
| the fact that MCSNet has more than a half-million bucks of infrastructure
| in place here in Chicago! Dial-up packet mode (PPP & SLIP) access is
| sufficient for me, it brings the Internet home, and until the cost of
| bandwidth and the support equipment for it drops it is the most reasonable
| and economical method for individuals to get to the net.
|
| Its also available <right now>.
|
| I consider the EFF's continued silence to the questions raised to be
| indicitive of malevolent intent and as such have withdrawn any and all
| support of all EFF positions and policies until such questions are answered
| in full.
|
| --
| --
| Karl Denninger (karl@MCS.Net)| MCSNet - Full Internet Connectivity (shell,
| Modem: [+1 312 248-0900] | PPP, SLIP, leased) in Chicago and 'burbs.
| Voice/FAX: [+1 312 248-8649] | Email "info@mcs.com". MCSNet is a CIX member.
| Fan Friendly Internet Here | WWW: http://www.mcs.net, gopher: gopher.mcs.net
|
The only worthwhile thing the EFF has done is to provide legal support to
people like Craig Neidorf and Steve Jackson. Putting Mike Godwin on the
other end of a phone in Cambridge to help people who need advice in
particular cases where their rights were getting trampled was a very
valuable service to a lot of people. I might have gotten tossed about
out of college a few years ago if he hadn't threatened to sue the
Chairman of the CS deptartment at my school.
As much as I appreciate that, it didn't stop me from cutting my
membership card in half and mailing it to Mitch when he moved the shop
down to DC. We've got enough "smart guys" lobbying the Government to
tell us what's good for us. The EFF should have stuck to their
(publicly stated) original purpose of ensuring that civil liberties
extend into Cyberspace.
